To Life! A Story of Survival

By: Nathan Offen

Nathan Offen was born in Krakow, Poland, in 1922. He has two brothers, Sam and Bernard, and he had a sister named Miriam. His father was a traveling salesman, while his mother was a dressmaker. Life was not easy for this family as they were poor - but the author enjoyed his childhood as much as any other kid. However this happiness did not last long.

When Hitler's power was on the rise, a proclamation was issued that all the Jews had to be identified by wearing armbands. The Germans would come with trucks, grab those Jews with armbands, and take them to their houses to clean and to do all kinds of manual labor. Jews did not receive any pay and they had no rights. They were treated as slaves, and this was only the beginning of Offen's nightmare.

Nathan Offen endured slave labor, ghetto confinement, and much torture when he and his brother, Sam, were imprisoned at the Mauthauzen death camp. To Life! depicts the struggles of the Polish Jews during Hitler's era. It also concentrates on how Nathan Offen was able to endure traumatic experiences, for almost six years, under Nazi brutality, and emerge as an energetic and productive individual. Nathan has shared his experiences with high school classes and college groups.

Nathan Offen strongly believes that his time was not up and that he survived with the purpose of being a messenger for all those who are silenced and cannot speak.